While Mengde was lost in thought, elsewhere on the grassy field outside the royal tent, Xiutu Ge was loudly advising Tute Chanyu.
Xiutu Ge spoke passionately.
“Chanyu! Although we have had our differences in the past, I believe our desire to restore the glory of the Xiongnu is the same. I’m certain you do not wish to see the Xiongnu remain a vassal of the Han forever. Forty thousand fine horses! That is nearly half of all the quality horses within our lands!”
“If we lose them, when the Han Kingdom declines in the future, what will we have left to rebuild our strength? We must not hand over so many fine horses to the Han in exchange for grain!”
Tute Chanyu listened to Xiutu Ge’s impassioned words, gave him a brief glance, and asked,
“Since you say our Xiongnu must wait until the Han Kingdom declines before we can rise again, then tell me—exactly when will the Han Kingdom decline?”
“…”
Xiutu Ge fell silent upon hearing this.
Tute Chanyu’s tone carried a trace of helplessness as he continued.
“Forty thousand fine horses—if we buy them now, our Xiongnu can breed them back in just two or three years.
But the warriors who die during the autumn raids to the south, and the people who perish during the winter from lack of food—can they be replaced in just two or three years?
If you could guarantee me with absolute certainty that the Han Kingdom will decline within the next two or three years, and that we could seize the opportunity to rise again, I would agree not to sell those forty thousand horses for grain.
But can you accurately tell me when the Han Kingdom will decline?”
“…”
Xiutu Ge remained silent.
Tute Chanyu sighed lightly.
“You cannot even offer a single concrete idea—so how can you hope to convince me? Tell me, on what grounds do you claim the Han Kingdom is already in decline?”
After a moment of thought, Xiutu Ge boldly replied.
“I’ve heard from traveling merchants that in recent years, the number of refugees within the Han Kingdom has grown.
The current Han emperor is an incompetent ruler—he only indulges in pleasure, ignoring the nation’s peril.
His ministers must first pay him a bribe to gain promotion.
Under such an emperor, how could the Han Kingdom possibly avoid decline?”
Chanyu Tute thought for a moment before posing a question of his own.
“In the past, after our Xiongnu Empire’s decisive defeat in the northern desert, how many years passed before we split into northern and southern tribes, with the Southern Xiongnu submitting to the Han?”
“Why do you ask this?”
“Just tell me!”
Tute Chanyu’s voice was slightly forceful.
Xiutu Ge thought for a moment before answering.
“Roughly over a hundred years…”
Tute Chanyu, hearing this answer, asked in return, “After our crushing defeat in the northern desert, the Xiongnu languished for more than a century before we could no longer hold out and submitted to the Han.
Now, even though the Han has had a few incompetent emperors, its strength far surpasses what our Xiongnu ever had in our prime.
How could it possibly, as you claim, suddenly collapse within just two or three years?”
“…”
Xiutu Ge could not answer.
Hearing Tute Chanyu’s reasoning, he began to doubt whether the Xiongnu would ever rise again within his lifetime.
Still, his face retained a defiant expression.
After all, Xiutu Ge was not yet thirty years old and had only inherited his father’s power for a few years.
Naturally, he was still brimming with youthful pride—otherwise, he would never have entertained the thought of challenging the Han’s authority to make the Xiongnu Empire great once more.
‘Sigh… young men…’
Seeing Xiutu Ge’s stubborn look, Tute Chanyu sighed again, then thought for a moment and said, “Since you wish to challenge the Han Kingdom and restore the Xiongnu Empire, then you should first compare yourself with the talents of the Han. That Miss Mengde’s father is one of the Han’s Three Excellencies, and the guard who was following her just now is certainly no ordinary man.”
“If you are unwilling to accept reality, then go and challenge that guard. If you defeat him easily, that will mean the Han truly has no outstanding heroes left. If your match is evenly balanced, then it means you still have a chance in your lifetime to challenge the Han.”
“But if he defeats you easily, then from this day forward, abandon the thought of challenging the Han. Be an obedient vassal, and let your descendants wait for the chance to overthrow the Han.”
“Yes!”
Xiu Tuoge bowed respectfully to Tute Chanyu.
***
After a while, Xiu Tuoge returned to the royal tent with Tute Chanyu.
His face dark, Xiu Tuoge strode up to Mengde and said loudly, “We Xiongnu have always dealt only with the strong. The reason the Han court was able to make the Xiongnu submit was because they defeated us in battle! If you want to do business with us, you must first fight me. Only if you win will I agree.”
After hearing Xiu Tuoge’s words, the look of anticipation on Mengde’s face immediately turned into disappointment.
“That’s it? I thought you two spent all that time talking outside because you had something useful to say. So in order to do business with the Xiongnu, I have to fight you and win? Please—this isn’t business, this is charity. You’re the ones who should be acting humble.”
Mengde waved her hand dismissively.
“So, according to you, if we lose to you in a match, then this deal is off?”
“Hmph! Of course!”
“Alright, then—I surrender. I lost.”
Mengde raised one hand with a mocking smile, making a half French-style salute.
“So our deal is canceled, right? Fine. Liu Bei, we’re leaving.”
“Ah?”
Liu Bei, standing behind Mengde, froze.
He didn’t understand why the deal, which had been almost finalized, suddenly collapsed.
What about all the arrangements they had painstakingly made?
What about all the favors they owed to countless families across the four provinces?
Before Liu Bei could sort it out, Mengde stood up with a look of utter boredom and headed for the exit.
Liu Bei hurried after her.
Xiu Tuoge had never imagined that Mengde would respond to his challenge by simply surrendering, ending the deal on the spot.
He stood there dumbfounded.
But when he caught sight of the mocking expression on Mengde’s face, his own flushed red with anger.
He felt humiliated by this woman.
What stung even more was Tute Chanyu’s reaction.
Seeing Mengde about to leave, Tute Chanyu immediately stepped forward to block her path.
Wearing a servile smile, he asked, “Why are you leaving so suddenly, Miss Cao?”
Mengde glanced disdainfully at Xiu Tuoge.
“Because some people here can’t see the situation clearly.”
“Can’t see the situation clearly?”
Tute Chanyu looked confused.
Mengde fixed her eyes on him and delivered her words like a slap.
“You Xiongnu need to remember—it’s not that I have to buy horses from you. I’m being kind. I’m using buying horses as an excuse to help the Southern Xiongnu. Aside from the Southern Xiongnu, do you think I can’t buy horses from other places near Han territory?”
“The Qiang, the Wuhuan, even the Xianbei—where could I not buy horses? And yet I choose to buy from you at ten times the market price. The only reason I came here was to give the Xiongnu some face. After all, in the Central Plains, only beggars get benefits without giving anything in return.”
“I would hope the Xiongnu aren’t beggars.”
Tute Chanyu quickly put on a flattering smile.
“Of course not. Thank you, Miss Cao, for looking after the honor of the Southern Xiongnu.”
One need not fear a Godly opponent, but one need fear a pig teammate. Stupid people really mess it up for everyone else.